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MOORMAN
AND
LAMBERTS
PHOTOS
BY
WYNN
MYERS;
ELIZABETH
STREET
CAFÉ
PHOTO
BY
REBECCA
FONDREN
8 4
A U S T I N W A Y S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 7 | M O D E R N L U X U R Y . C O M
F O O D & D R I N K
t o q u e
It's been 10 years since a team of
ambitious 24-year-olds, working 80 to
90 hours a week, opened Lamberts in
downtown Austin. e upscale-casual
barbecue restaurant was a new concept
for the city, one that was a big risk—and
an even bigger success, one that would
lead to a local restaurant empire for
Larry McGuire and Tom Moorman.
Today—14,856 lobster blinis,
25,696 plates of Singapore noodles and
more than 2,439,155 freshly shucked
oysters later—McGuire Moorman
Hospitality boasts a portfolio of seven
Austin restaurants, including Jeff rey's,
Perla's and Elizabeth Street Café. ey
also now own and operate the 38-year-
old ByGeorge boutique—"partly in the
interest [of ] preserving one of Austin's
iconic brands," says McGuire—and
their fi rst cookbook, Elizabeth Street
Cafe, hits shelves in October.
Sipping a cappuccino (McGuire)
and coff ee, black (Moorman) at
June's All Day, their sophisticated
neighborhood cafe on South Congress,
the duo enjoy reminiscing about the
early days as much as imagining a
future that looks as bright and shiny
as a fresh tin of caviar. eir secret
in Austin's tough market? "We're not
interested in opening restaurants," says
McGuire. "We build restaurants."
ey're also quick to credit
their advisors, investors and growing
team. "And we're still constantly
tweaking," says Moorman, noting that
something as simple as menu word
choice can make or break a dish.
Although their jobs have changed
signifi cantly since their mid-20s, they're
both still chefs at heart—refreshing
in the age of celebrity cooks who
are more likely to be holding shine
control than a deboning knife. You
might spot Moorman in the kitchen
at Josephine House, training staff
and coming up with fresh recipes.
By the time a new MMH concept
is ready to launch, McGuire is on
to the next project, whether it's the
food and beverage program at Proper
Hotel (opening in 2018) or the new
Clark's Oyster Bar in Aspen—their
fi rst restaurant outside of Austin.
ese two, along with their
500-plus employees, have been an
integral part of the city's culinary
scene in a decade of unparalleled
growth, one they helped catalyze.
ey're still young, but just like Austin
itself, they're also all grown up.
THE DINING DUO
It all started with Lamberts. A decade into their culinary reign, Larry
McGuire and Tom Moorman remain dedicated to their vision.
By Stirling Kelso
Clockwise
from top: Tom Moorman
and
Larry McGuire of McGuire
Moorman Hospitality; noodles at Moorman
Hospitality; noodles at
Eli b h S C fé d' el Elizabeth
Street Café; d'espelette
shrimp
and blue crab gumbo at Perla's;
the charming interior
of Lamberts.